Grrrrrrr......

Not so much a musing as a rant though one with, hopefully, a purpose as a try out for a new line of post as part of the whole enforced hobby break thing. A view from the sidelines if you will.

Nothing wrong with a rant as long as it has a point to make. I've read quite a few that I've enjoyed greatly and have made me have a good think.

So today's subject is re-blogging. Some time ago I chatted on about competitive blogging having noticed a number of offenders afflicting various blog groups / rings etc.

Recently I've noticed the phenomenon of re-blogging as a single post as in a post that's a link to someone else's post. Originally I was unimpressed seeing such an act as hijacking someone's time, effort and insight. All in all a further mutant strain of the filler post.

My ire has been liberally fuelled by the fact that I've regularly scrolled through TGNs blog roll to find the original two down from the re-blog. Grrrrr.....

Being a quizzical / sucker sort of a chap I've still continued to follow through on a few of said posts that had caught my eye. I have to admit that I've stumbled upon a few posts and blogs that I was rather pleased to find and seen my watch-list grow such as THIS ONE!!

So hypocrite or convert? Feel free to let me know :)

To me it seems, as ever with the blog- o-sphere a matter of quality and repetition. By this I mean primarily on the part of the re-blogger.

Do they offer their own quality product? Do they need to if the link leads you to the end of a rainbow?

How does the original poster feel about the whole thing? Is this a form of flattery or battery?
I've been linked to a couple of times and been quite chuffed :)

What's the motivation? Share the love or pad the profile out a bit?

Does anyone (else) care??.............

Only H.U.M.A.N

Should set out my stall now and admit to the first instalment of a two part vaguely related post.

Bolt Action....in action!

Made it down to the club last Tuesday for the first time in a while. Bit of a test run for how my recently extended hobby commute might work out. Was only about for a couple of hours in the end but enjoyed catching up with the toys-boys (no innuendo, no Zs).

When I've been explaining my miniature affliction to a "normal" I've almost always attempted to draw attention to the social side of what might otherwise appear to be a rather solitary hobby.

It suddenly occurs that video games are far more reclusive, offline definitely online on slightly less so, where the proper nerds need to congregate and, possibly, not just for mutual protection.

But I digress which might become more of a regular feature :)

So in short I didn't roll any dice but still got to immerse myself for a bit. The 40K infestation reared its head briefly as I sought out and then flicked through the Chaos Codex wondering how viable a cultist base force might be.



I feel the pain!



Flicking through the various unit entries considering their relative stats points and special rules I realised that I didn't have the blindest clue anymore when, some years ago, I had the second sight that allowed me to pick out worthy vassals from the pages themselves.

Not so sure that's such a bad thing :)

A few of the guys were running through some Bolt Action action four to the table learning as the game played through. Positive human experience +1.

Two of the 40K games featured Gaurd deployed behind Aegis Defence Lines which I'm aware are now part of the army list.

I was then joyfully informed by one such player how "We've already broken this game!" and how scenery can be traded in for groups of static quad autocannons. I scurried away as he informed his how "we've worked out that I could get 21 on the table!"

I closed the codex and gratefully returned it to its owner. Positive Human Experience -1. Or am I being a bit harsh??

So back at the apparent point a lot of this geek-tastic hobby revolves around actual human interaction which to some might be something of a surprise. The quality of that interaction, and its relevant importance to those engaged within it, may vary but it's always there.

Live long and prosper my friend :)

That was the month (and a half) that wasn't

Hello people!

So as some of you may have noticed September was an utter non-event on here. I have now moved and the vast majority of my stuff is now in boxes up a loft. As such I can pretty much guarantee non more Painting Points this year. Bit of a shame in some ways well worth it in other non-hobby / geek related areas :)

Yes it's all about a girl! Not a boast post (honest!) but relevant because WE are in the process of buying a house. Three bed with conservatory and garage. Further relevance is that I've been guaranteed a games room of some description probably by doing some work on the garage.

So recently I've been reduced to being a browser rather than a blogger whilst contemplating how to keep things spinning along on here. I've finally had the epiphany of providing a view from the fence during my enforced hobby abstinence preferably when I have something relevant to comment upon.

So without further ado I took a lunchtime breath of air around Leadenhall Market the other day and took a wander into Waterstones to browse the graphical novels only to find this lot proudly displayed at the front of the store. Bit of a mix along the nerd-o-meter I grant you but I still never expected to stumble upon Magic and Zombies!! and Warhammer Invasion in my nerdiest of dreams.

So the question; Is geek becoming more mainstream? Is it just a case of more.... ahem.... exposure? Do we all owe Big Bang so much to be able to come out of the closet more freely.

Over the past few months I've discovered a few nerds-in-arms at work mainly when caught browsing at lunch. Somehow it seems so much more socially acceptable. Is there more of a divergence as more "traditional" board game offerings make more headway into the hobby from Settlers of Catan to Zombiecide and many tabletop conversions to board-top and card game?

In offering some form of conclusion I'd suggest that geek in general has become somewhat more acceptable or at least we're less afraid of coming out from behind the lead mountain. Surely this has to be a good thing.... :)

Just out of interest this is my first blog by app! No internet at the current abode :( Not sure if I've uploaded the photos properly but were about to find out and I'm sure I can fix bits on the work stand-alone at lunch tomorrow. Assuming I can get everything to work then blogging while travel will become a regular thing.

So without further ado.......

EDIT: Only thing seems to be that Blogger app sticks all the photos at the bottom of the post or at least I haven't worked out how to put htem anywhere else.......yet. Minor victory!!

All Slow Ahead

Getting down to the distasteful business of packing up my toys and paints I realised that I have now fully painted up the DW French starter box fleet so here you are and I'm well pleased with them. I also have the Toulon Cruisers and the subs done but the Ecuyer Cruisers didn't quite make it so not a fully painted project just yet!

Two heavy flyers and six more destroyers nets me another 10 Painting Points though these will be the last until I get myself re-established which may take a little while.

Until that time I'll concentrate on gaming and have selected a few sets of figures to leave at the club for ease. Space-Hulk, Dystopian, Mordheim, Gladiators, the Oni and a portion of the AWI / TAM stuff plus whatever else I blag in onto. Re-establishing roleplay is another option.

As with every move I've had something of a clear-out and its quite scary how heavily I've "hobby-slimmed" over the last few years with the painted percentage rising substantially. This has also radically reduced my current projects list and the upside is that it'll let me reset somewhat.

Once I'm back up and running I can see my SAGA LOTR Orcs getting some time along with the AWI / TAM stuff. The break may just have saved me from the 40K infestation as odds are that I won't get reestablished until the end of the club's campaign.

Near miss? You tell me!

Flying High

Just a quick one as I managed to find some time this afternoon to get some paint on my DW French Voltaire heavy flyers. In the end it was much easier to follow the tiny flyers scheme through than I thought it might be.

Possibly a little bit simple but I'm more than happy with them and the contrast that the whole air aim provides against the surface fleet. They need a bit of highlight and the bases sorting out, along with the Marseilles cruisers, but they're almost there.

Meanwhile the final six destroyers have just been washed and I've built and sprayed my Ecuyer squadron. Very keen to get this project finished before the enforced break that will be brought by moving.

Bon chance as some might say :)

Creeping Infestation II

Well that didn't take very long........ The paypal account is now empty as impulse drew me in to picking up three AT-43 Oni Tac-Arms,or should that be Nurgle Terminator proxies to go with the three I already have which is just one away from the sacred number if you remember that sort of thing.

It was only after I parted with my virtual folding that it occurred to me that rather than outing the Dark Angels of the Dark Vengeance set that I'm still wary of buying I could use them as fallen modelling on various degrees of plague / rust / ruin etc.

Once again the froth seems to be building and my mind has gone into over-drive as to how I could put together a Nurgle cult force for a game that I'd apparently decided that I'd never touch again with any form of bargepole :/

One option, which my wallet seems to be following already, is to pick up some Oni vehicle support via E-Bay as and when bits come up. About the same price as GW bu pre-built and block coloured I also really like the look / design of them.

Got one of these in Green / Sand washed and weathered sporting Tau decals for a Manga look. Fluff would be a rogue Bio-Engineered super-soldier project turned fully to Father Nurgle.

The APC would work nicely as a Rhino or Chimera and being non GW would allow me to go either way to field alternative list via use / abuse of ALLIES.

Got one of these to but done nothing with it. To be honest I find the cannon somewhat oversized but I'm sure I can shorten the barrel without a problem.

Could easily run as a Russ, Basilisk, Predator or Vindicator. Possibly even as something particularly funky from the Forgeworld garage. Could add some of their secondary weapon kits.

Haven't got one of these or it's ramapaging owner but I'm very sure I'd like to! All sorts of options as a command or scout vehicle whilst the man himself could be good as a lesser Lord or warped Psyker type.

Combined with a possible swap-out of the Dark Angels with a willing participant and I have a substatial sized Sci-Fi army of grizzled scumbags willing to invade any set or rules you might like to profer.

It does occur that I might like to look at possible army lists at some point. Dodgy PDFs of the current Chaos and Gaurd codexes would be next I suppose followed by the new Chaos Codex whenever it appears.

Not sure if there's any form of Traitor Gaurd codex knocking about. I'm sure Google will let me know :)

Thinning the Ranks??

Hello people, longtime no nothing.

I am potentially moving abode in the near-ish future and as such I've recently E-Bay'd the outstanding painted Orcs. Didn't get as much as I'd hoped but nothing terrible. The built and basecoated ones may follow just as they are as I'd rather not put the time and effort in for minimal return.

So there is a few quid knocking about in PayPal burning the metaphorical pocket.

And with 40K running ever stronger down at Enfield Gamers one potential purchase may be the upcoming Dark Vengeance boxed set. The apparent £65 felt a bit stinging but then I got sight of the figures involved and OH MY GOD!! Double 6 on a morale check and run for the credit card!

As if by the design of the ruinous powers themselves the chaos force is probably just what I would have been looking at to blend in with my AT-43 Oni zombie types to form a Nurgle cult army.

I haven't got any spare sprues anymore but I'm sure I could make do with the greatest of ease as I'd probably out the Dark Angels. September 1st suddenly looms large though I'd just have to pack it away which might not be the worst idea as that way I already had it when I arrived if you know what I mean :)

Still feel wary about the whole thing but there you go. Once bitten twice shy but there you go.

We'll see :)